


Heroic Tales and Less Heroic Exploits

by skyestar7703



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, 僕のヒーローアカデミア | Boku no Hero Academia | My Hero Academia
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Friendship, Hurt/Comfort, Marauders, Multi, Reincarnation AU
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-04
Updated: 2019-10-07
Packaged: 2020-07-31 07:17:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 16,319
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20111263
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/skyestar7703/pseuds/skyestar7703
Summary: James Potter's fate was that of growing up, marrying Lily Evans, and then dying young to protect his family. This James Potter, however, remembers his previous life as Midoriya Izuku. And Midoriya Izuku has no intention of dying young for the second time.





	1. Chapter 1

It wasn’t anywhere close to immediate; his memories of his past life came back to him slowly at first, then all at once as soon as he was old enough to even slightly comprehend them. But by the time his fifth birthday rolled around, James Potter knew with absolute certainty that he was once called Izuku Midoriya (or rather, Midoriya Izuku).

He’d felt like crying later that evening, when Euphemia Potter tucked him into bed and kissed him goodnight. Not because he’d had a bad birthday, or gotten presents he didn’t like, or hated his bedtime. No, he cried because that was the night it had truly hit him; he’d died young, in only his second year of Yuuei, and had left everyone behind, including his classmates, friends, All Might, and his original mom.

Euphemia was a wonderful mother. But Izuku had had Inko Midoriya as his mom for far longer, and he missed her dearly. He’d never be able to see her again.

As soon as his new mother left the room, he finally let the tears roll down his cheeks, splashing onto the silk bed sheets.

(James Potter would never be wanting for anything material. Izuku Midoriya would never get the things he truly wanted.)

———————————————————

It didn’t take long for Izuku to realize he was in a very different world than the one he had inhabited in his previous life. For starters, when he had glanced over at the newspapers his mother and dad liked to read, he’d learned that the date was several centuries in the past. That was the first clue, as who’d ever heard of a person reincarnating backwards? A far more logical answer was that this world was simply younger than the one he’d come from.

The kicker, though, had come the day after all of his memories had settled in. Sixteen years for Izuku had quickly crowded out his far younger memories in this life, most likely because he’d really been to young to retain them for long anyways. If he’d had, Izuku might not have been as shocked when his mother made the toy trains he was playing with come to life and zoom around the room all on their own. He’d chalked it up to being her quirk at first, but then watched her flick a wooden stick (her wand, his memories supplied), and saw the toys react by flying up in the air and traveling across the room, before settling neatly right where they were usually stored.

Izuku’s little mouth fell open. “How did you do that?” He asked, astonished. Animating toys and levitating objects were two different quirks! Well, he supposed they could possibly fall under a single quirks category of controlling a certain type of object, but it was still pretty wild.

His mother smiled and patted his head. “Levitating charms, sweet. They’re one of the first things you’ll learn when you go off to Hogwarts. But that’s for when you’re older.”

Levitating charms? That sounded like some sort of magic. If this really was a new world, was magic real here? It didn’t seem possible, but then again, a new world could probably have new rules.

Izuku had so many questions, he didn’t know where to begin. If he decided for the moment that magic was real, then it would make sense for there to be a place to learn it, which lead to that ‘Hogwarts’ mother had mentioned. So if he asked about that, he could also know if his theory about magic was correct.

So that was the question he would start with. “Is Hogwarts a magic school?”

“Yes, and a very good one at that,” Mother affirmed. “Your father and I both went there when we were young adults. It’s one of the best magic schools in the world.”

Izuku’s eyes went as wide as the cucumber slices his dad liked to munch on. That had answered a few of his questions, but had also generated about fifty more of them. “Can you show me more magic?”

“Of course!” Mother indulged him. She pulled out her wand again and swished it gently. Small golden lights appeared wherever her wand had been, hovering in the air and shimmering softly. Another wave, and they started changing colors, the ground around them lit up by the glow.

Izuku may have had the memories of a teenager, but at the same time, he was still just as childish as his current physical age would have people believe. Out of curiosity and pure five year old instinct, he reached out and tried to grab one of the lights in his fist. 

Warmth spread from his hand out to the rest of his body, like sitting next to a roaring fireplace, except the fizzling was inside of him and not surrounded by stone. “It tickles!” He giggled.

“It does, doesn’t it,” Euphemia agreed, smiling indulgently. Izuku let go and she waved her wand once more, causing the lights to vanish and leaving Izuku with a faint sense of disappointment. “Come now, it’s bedtime.”

Izuku allowed himself to be picked up in her arms. “When do I get to go to Hogwarts? I want to learn how to do that!” He paused, years of bullying for being quirkless flashing through his head. “Do I have magic?” He whispered, almost too softly for her to hear. “What if I don’t? What will happen to me then?”

“There’s no need for you to worry about that,” Mother chuckled. “Do you remember a couple weeks ago, when that painting burst into flames? Or when the cookies somehow ended up in your room, even though your father and I had been with you the whole night?”

Izuku did remember those things. He’d hated that weird painting from the minute dad had brought it home, and had wanted it out of the house. Just as he’d been glaring at it from across the hall, it had spontaneously burst into flames. There hadn’t been enough to salvage, so dad had thrown it out. With the cookies, he’d been craving them all afternoon, but with his parents around, hadn’t been able to sneak one. Yet they’d somehow shown up in his bedroom that evening. Luckily his parents had found the situation funny, and they’d all shared the cookies that night.

He nodded in response to his mother’s questions. “Well,” Mother continued, “Those were bits of accidental magic you performed. You’ve been doing things like that since you were a little baby. There’s no doubt that you grow to be a fine wizard.”

So those were little acts of magic he’d done? Izuku’s head spun at the implications. Setting a painting on fire with his mind was very different than somehow transporting cookies to his room. Then again, levitation and little balls of light were also two very different types of powers. Was magic anything like quirks were, or was it as unpredictable as it was in some books?

“How does accidental magic work exactly?” He asked. “I mean, do people generally do specific types of accidental magic based on what they end up being best at? Around when does it usually develop? Is there any way to control it before you go to Hogwarts?”

Mother laughed. “So many questions, I love it! Maybe you’ll be in Ravenclaw once your at Hogwarts. Fleamont has been so sure you’d be a cinch for Gryffindor.”

“What’s Ravenclaw? And what’s a Gryffindor?”

“They’re Hogwarts houses, sweet.”

“Houses? Like places to stay in?”

“That’s right.” She was carrying him up the back staircase, holding him tightly so he didn’t bounce around too much. Their house was really, really big. “They’re dormitories, where all the students sleep.”

“Oh, okay.” Izuku was reminded of the Yuuei dorms. This had obviously been around for a long time, however. “How many houses are there? And what does asking a lot of questions have to do with being in the Ravenclaw dorm - I mean - house?”

They had reached Izuku’s room. Mother took one hand away from him to open the door and they walked inside. It was almost as big as the entire bottom floor of his old house, with its own comfy blue couch and chairs, soft gold carpeting, and a giant four-poster bed, the curtains and sheets made of red and gold.

Mother sat him down on the bed, and Izuku crawled under the covers. “There are four houses,” She answered patiently. “Really, you can ask a lot of questions and be in any house, but it’s more of a Ravenclaw trait, because people are sorted into houses based on what they value the most.”

Izuku frowned, pulling the expensive bed sheets up. “And Ravenclaw is the house of valuing questions?”

Mother laughed. “Sort of.” She went to smooth out his hair. “How about your father and I tell you about all of the houses another day. It’s bedtime for you right now.”

Izuku pouted, as five year olds are want to do. “Aww man.” He brightened up. “Can you answer my first question though? About how old I need to be to go to Hogwarts? I really want to know the answer to that one.”

“Of course,” she agreed. “Kids start Hogwarts when they’re eleven years old. So you’ve got six more years before it’s time for you to go.”

“That’s a really long time.” He wasn’t sure if he could stand not being able to properly learn and understand magic for another six years. Then again, maybe he didn’t have to. His own home had a library, and his mother and dad seemed perfectly willing to answer any questions he had. Izuku promised to himself that by the time he went to Hogwarts, he’d be more than prepared. 

“It goes by fast,” Mother assured him, kissing him on the forehead. “Trust me, I’ve been where you are.”

———————————————————

It was much easier to think of Fleamont Potter as his dad than Mother as his mom, hence the terms Mother and Dad respectively. While he loved Mother a lot, and she was a wonderful parent - even if he did recognize that she spoiled him more than a bit - the term “Mom” would always belong to Inko Midoriya, no matter what. She had been there for him at the hardest times of his life, and while there were some times when he wished she had been more supportive of his dreams and aspirations, he couldn’t think of a better mother.

On the other hand, Hisashi Midoriya hadn’t been around in years. He’d been gone when Mom had taken him to the doctor that had told him he was quirkless, he’d been gone when Izuku had found All Might and was given the power to be a hero, and he’d never once showed up in either of Izuku’s years at Yuuei. He was almost always overseas on work, stopping by every few years for a few weeks, then leaving again. Izuku hardly remembered anything about his father's interests or personality, and had only a vague idea of what he’d looked like.

Dad, on the other hand, was a constant presence in his life, and it made everything so much better. He also worked hard on hair potions that could fix peoples hair the way they wanted in seconds, but he always made time for his wife and only child. He had a nice, if very dad-like, sense of humor, and was always willing to drop whatever book or paper he was reading to play with Izuku and answer his endless questions.

One day, while Dad was reading the paper and Mother was just coming home from brunch with some of her friends, Izuku opened up the line of questioning he had been sitting on ever since his talk with his mother about accidental magic and Hogwarts houses. “Dad? Mother? A few weeks ago, Mother told me about Hogwarts houses, and how different houses value different things. Could you tell me more about that?”

“Of course kiddo,” His dad grinned at him, eyes twinkling. “Learning more about the houses so you know to try for Gryffindor?”

“Don’t pressure him, Fleamont,” Mother pulled her handkerchief out of her coat and tossed it lightly at him. It landed square on his face. Dad chuckled and pulled it off, tossing it back to her. “I think he’s just as likely to end up in Ravenclaw anyways.”

Their son shifted impatiently. “I still don’t know what each house values,” he reminded them.

“Of course.” Dad set his paper down, and Izuku caught a glimpse of the moving photos that had been the subject of his fascination for the last couple weeks (and the reason he had left this line of questioning until today; he’d been far to busy asking how they worked).

“Well for starters,” Dad said, “Gryffindor is the house I was in when I was a boy. Gryffindors value bravery and chivalry above all others. It’s a house that always fights for what’s right.”

“That sounds like a really good place to go,” Izuku noted. He imagined that if All Might were here, that would be the house he’d end up in. Yeah, now that he thought about it, that made a lot of sense. But could Izuku get into a house like that?

“Don’t count the other houses out,” Mother laughed lightly. “I was in Ravenclaw, for instance. We value wit, wisdom, and creativity. That was why I said it was the house for asking lots of questions. I think, with your curiosity, you’d do very well there.” 

He probably would. But who could blame him? Magic was fascinating! Really, Izuku wondered why every wizard didn’t end up in Ravenclaw. Who could look at this world and not want to know everything about it?

“That’s pretty fair.” Dad squeezed his hand. “But most kids aren’t like you, Kiddo. Especially those from wizarding families, they aren’t that interested in how magic works, just what it can do for them.” Izuku winced slightly, he must’ve been mumbling again. While he didn’t do it nearly as much in this life, it still came out now and again. 

“There are two other houses, of course,” Mother continued. “The students in Hufflepuff value things like honesty, loyalty, kindness, and hard work. They’re generally a very nice group of people.”

“I like the sound of that.” Izuku wondered which of his friends would end up there. Kirishima, definitely. Maybe Tsyu? No, she was probably a Gryffindor. Now that he thought about it, Aizawa valued those things more than anything else, so he’d probably be a Hufflepuff. “It sounds like a good house.”

“It is,” Dad agreed, “even if they aren’t always taken seriously.” He sighed dramatically. “And then there are the Slytherins.” 

“Fleamont,” Mother admonished, looking more amused than anything. “Please don’t bring your personal bias into this.” She turned to Izuku. “Slytherin values ambition and cunning above the others.”

Izuku frowned. “That doesn’t sound too bad.” Were Slytherins and Gryffindors rivals?

“You got it,” Dad admitted, somewhat chastised. “And it isn’t bad, per say. Everyone needs some ambition to get places in life. But would you honestly trust someone who made it clear they value ambition itself over things like kindness or bravery?”

Surprisingly, it wasn’t a villain that popped into Izuku’s head, but Endeavor, who valued his own status as a hero over being a hero itself, so much so that he forced his own child to be someone he could live vicariously through, and neglected his other kids. He gritted his teeth at the thought of that man.

“Yeah,” he managed to get out. “Yeah, that doesn’t sound very nice.”

“There are some very nice Slytherins,” Mother pointed out, sitting down beside Izuku at the table. “A few of my school friends were from that house, and they were good people.”

“You just couldn’t trust them,” Dad snarked.

“Fleamont!” Mother chided. Izuku could tell it was teasing on both sides, but he vowed right then that he wouldn’t be in Slytherin. He wanted to be better than that.

But to be better, he had to know how one’s house got chosen, so that he could aim for one of the other three. “How do you get into each house?” He questioned his parents, who were still gently teasing each other.

“Ah,” Dad forced himself to stop laughing. “That’s a secret Kiddo, sorry. School tradition.”

“I wouldn’t worry about it too much.” Mother smiled down on him. “Wherever you go, we’ll be proud of you. We may not be able to tell you what the sorting process is, but we can tell you neither of us have heard of an instance where someone was sorted wrong.” Izuku nodded, feeling reassured.

Still, he’d try to find out more later. He didn’t want to go into this at all unprepared. 

———————————————————

“James, sweet, it’s bedtime.” Mother poked her head around the door to their library. “Still reading all those books, I see. You haven’t come out of there all day, save for meals. What are you reading that has you so interested?”

“Lots of things!” Izuku picked his head up from the current volume he was reading. Scattered around him were many other books of varying sizes, containing all sorts of different subjects. “Did you know that no one ever figured out a pattern to how accidental magic manifests itself? It can appear at any age, in tons of different ways. But why? Why does it do that?”

“It’s magic, Sweet.” Mother sat down next to him, gently stacking the books up and sending them away with her wand. “Magic does what it wants, it seems. Every magic user is different, so it appears in many different ways.”

“So is magic sentient then?” Izuku wondered aloud. “Is it okay to use it then?”

His mother gave a small shrug. “I wouldn’t call it sentient, so much as unpredictable. But with proper learning, it becomes more and more predictable, and easier to use. That is why we have schools like Hogwarts, after all.” 

“I was wondering about that too,” Izuku admitted. “How does one get accepted into Hogwarts? I mean, how do the teachers know who’s magical, and who isn’t? Especially with muggleborns and squibs.” He’d done research into that subject, and like everything else, found frustratingly little on the subject. It seemed some people were born with magic, and some weren’t. Although the idea of people possibly being exiled from their communities for not having magic was uncomfortably familiar.

Mother folded her hands on her lap. “If what I’ve heard is true, there’s a magical quill and book, charmed by the founders of Hogwarts themselves, that are able to detect when a child is magical, and write their name down. Apparently, they haven’t been wrong yet.”

“Wow.” Izuku thought about that. “I wonder what sort of charm they used to do that?”

“That I don’t know.” Mother shook her head, smiling. “But what I do know is that you can continue your reading tomorrow. For now, it really is bedtime.”

Izuku pouted. 

———————————————————

Izuku always knew technology had been held back by the appearance of quirks, but now that he was so far in the past, he was seeing it firsthand, and the shock of it was even greater.

While technology hadn’t progressed to the point it was at in his past life, it was actually pretty close, with similar cars, radios, and television. Cell phones and the internet weren’t a thing yet, but with the way things were improving, it would only be a matter of time.

Even more interesting than that, however, was the fact that wizards were way way far behind when it came to technology. Sure, they had radio and trains, and could replace things like phones with talking through fires, but wizarding society as a whole was still super far behind!

Izuku had searched their library for information on wizarding technology, but couldn’t find anything. He decided to ask his dad about it. 

“Technology, hmm?” Dad stroked his chin, pondering the question. “That’s a very interesting question. Sorry we don’t have any books on it.” He brightened, and lifted his head up. “Oh, I know! How about we go to the London Public Library, and see if they have anything there?”

“Isn’t that a muggle library?” It hadn’t been a big shock to find out he was now living in England; he’d been speaking English this whole life, after all. Still, it was a big weird, walking out of the house and into the English countryside, like something out of a storybook.

“Sure it is,” Dad agreed. “But there’s a magical section hidden from muggle eyes there as well.”

“That sounds so awesome!” Izuku couldn't help but bounce up and down. “Yeah, let’s go there and see if they have anything.”

They took floo powder to get to London, which was still both neat and somewhat terrifying. Once there, they walked the few blocks to the library, Dad holding Izuku’s hand the whole way there. Izuku looked around at the rows and rows of books, itching to get his hands on them. However, his dad led him to a door in the back, which everyone else seemed to be overlooking.

They entered to find even more shelves filled with books. These ones, however, were flying off the shelves and into people’s hands of their own accord. The people reading the books were wearing robes of all sorts of bright colors, some of which almost hurt to look that.

That was okay, of course. Izuku would much rather look at the books than the people reading them.

A wizard with a bright green robed glanced up as they approached, looking somewhat disinterested. “Can I help you two?”

Dad smiled at him. “Yes, thank you. We’re looking into wizarding history, technology more specifically. My son’s interested in the topic.” Izuku waved at the man.

The man’s bored expression morphed into one of surprise. “Huh. Not many wizards or witches look into that sort of thing. Usually just as a passing curiosity, or to write some sort of article. Follow me then.” He lead them off into a corner, where the books all looked dusty and less used. “Hope you find what you’re looking for.”

“Thanks!” Izuku waved at him. He gave a short nod back and walked away. 

———————————————————

When Izuku was six, he finally decided to test out One for All, to see if he still had his quirk or not. It was obvious that quirks as a whole didn’t exist in this world, at least not yet. But he had to try and see if his still worked.

It was late at night when he decided to test if out, after Mother and Dad had both gone to sleep and he was alone in his room. Izuku slipped out of bed and onto the soft carpets that covered his room.

He focused as hard as he could on the feeling One for All gave him, how it felt with all of that power rushing through his veins. Izuku clenched his fists and waited.

At first, nothing happened. But slowly, green sparks started to fly around his body’s coursing through his veins like an old friend. It was light, weaker than it had even been before. But it was there. If Izuku had to guess, he was able to use less than one percent of One for All at the moment. But the fact that he could use it at all was encouraging.

———————————————————

Despite the equal feeling of being loved he received from each, were many differences between the Midoriya family and the Potter family. Besides the fact that he lived with two parents instead of one, and the fact that while Mom was making good money as a middle class citizen, the Potters were sitting pretty on a massive fortune, there was the parents themselves.

Euphemia Potter - Mother - was beautiful for her age, especially considering she’d had Izuku when she was around forty. She had long flowing dark red hair, speckled with strands of gray. While she was equally kind, Mother was much more self assured than Mom had been, radiating confidence. More than a few times, Izuku wondered guiltily if that had to do with the fact that he was born magical in this world, but quirkless in the previous one. Pictures and stories, however, told a different story, one that said Mother had always been like this. He hoped it was just that.

Fleamont Potter was just a few years older than his wife, with smooth salt and pepper hair and sharp hazel eyes hidden behind glasses. Izuku couldn’t exactly compare him to his previous father, as he didn’t know the man, but a huge difference from his previous life was that while he had taken his looks from his mother then, now they came almost completely from Dad. It still shocked him everytime he looked in the mirror, expecting green hair but seeing messy black.

Another major thing that set the Potters apart from Mom, however, was that the Potters had lots of friends. Lots and Lots of friends.

“Come on Sweet.” Mother gently pulled him along. After weeks of pleading, She and Dad had agreed to take Izuku on a broomstick ride, which had proven to be even more of a thrill than he’d imagined. Now that they were at their destination, however, his nerves came rearing up, threatening to consume him.

“What if he doesn’t like me?” Izuku voiced his hesitant thoughts. “What if we get off on the wrong foot, what if I say something dumb and he thinks I’m an idiot, what if-“

“It won’t be like that Sweet, I promise,” Mother assured him. “I’ve met Frank before, he’s a very nice young boy, and only about a year older than you. I’m sure you’ll get along splendidly.”

That would be nice, except the anxieties wouldn’t leave him. They walked up to the front steps of the Longbottom’s house, a huge estate that almost rivaled their own. 

The door opened as they approached, and a small creature in rags appeared at the door. 

“Miss Augusta and master Frank are waiting for you, Sirs and Madam.” The thing spoke with a deep croaky voice, as it bowed them inside. Mother thanked it kindly as they passed.

“What was that?” Izuku wondered.

“A house elf,” Dad explained. “They work for some rich wizarding families.”

Izuku glanced back at the house elf. “Why’s he wearing rags?”

“They hate clothes. Giving a house elf clothes is essentially firing them, which they consider a great failure on their part. Ah, Augusta!” Dad spread his arms out wide as a sharp looking woman approached, kissing her on the cheek in greeting. The greeting she and Mother shared was equally warm.

“It’s about time you visited. Your son is already six, and I’ve barely met him.” Augusta Longbottom leaned down to meet Izuku’s eyes. “You must be James. You’ve grown since I last saw you.”

Izuku didn’t remember seeing her before, but he nodded his head politely anyways. “Thank you ma’am.”

“So polite! He and Frank will get along splendidly. Frank!” At his mother’s call, a boy came thumping down the stairs, and locked eyes with Izuku. Frank was tall for his age, with brown hair and curious eyes.

Izuku gave a shy wave. “Hi. I’m James.”

Frank smiled. “Hello! It’s nice to meet you.”

Mother gave his hand a squeeze. “Why don’t you two get to know each other better?”

“Right.” Augusta nodded firmly. “Frank, give him a tour of the estate. Be sure to ask what he wants to see the most.”

“Okay.” Frank gave Izuku a smile and motioned for him to follow. Izuku walked with him as their parents talked in the background. “Is there anything you want to see?”

Izuku rubbed the back of his head. “Well, what do you have? I mean, this is your house, after all. Well, actually if you have a lot of books I would love to see them. I’ve read almost all the books in my house, which is both great and frustrating because not many books talk about how magic atcually works. And you’d think they’d have something on it in different magical libraries, but it’s like not many wizards seem to care how anything works, and isn’t that weird? I mean-” Izuku cut himself off when he saw Frank staring at him with wide eyes. He winced. So much for making a good first impression. “Sorry, I tend to ramble a lot.”

“It’s fine, that’s not-” Frank cut himself off. _“Midoriya?”_

Oh. 

Well this just got a lot more interesting.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As Izuku learns more about the world around him, he discovers new interests that he never would have dreamed of before, as well as old friends who are wearing new faces.

“So you can use your quirk as well?” Izuku asked. They were sitting in Frank’s - Hagakure’s - room, a large open space with large bright windows, and a four poster bed and soft sheets of red and green. Hagakure (and wasn’t that strange? Of all the people to have reincarnated with him, Izuku hadn’t expected her) was sitting on the side of the bed, dangling her legs off of the sides and swinging them back and forth.

“Yeah, but only a little bit,” she said. Hagakure scrunched up her face in concentration, and slowly her body began to fade from sight, until she was just a vague outline in clothes. She let it go with a tired sigh, and quickly became totally visible again. “It takes a lot of effort, so I don’t do it often. I also did a bit of research, and it turns out that wizards have spells that will let them turn almost totally invisible- clothes and everything.” She gave a shrug. “So I think I’d rather just stick to that.”

Izuku looked at her in surprise. “Are you sure? I mean, I can’t use my quirk much either, but to not use it at all….” It wasn’t even really his quirk, and he had a hard time even thinking about not using One for All anymore. 

“Well, we’ve got a while to go until we learn those spells,” Hagakure amended. “So I’ll work on my quirk until then. Who knows, maybe I’ll change my mind later on.” She turned to face him. “What about you? How have you been doing with this whole ‘reincarnation’ thing?”

“It could be worse.” Izuku looked away. “I’ve got wonderful parents, and what looks to be a bright future ahead of me, filled with magic.” Something clenched in his chest. “But I still miss my old life. I miss my mom, and our friends.”

“Yeah, me too.” Hagakure raised her hands up for a moment, as if unsure of what to do with them. Then she reached over and gave Izuku a quick hug. “We’ll get through this together, okay?”

“Y-yeah,” Izuku agreed. His eyes widened as a thought struck him. “Hagakure, how are you doing with the whole - you know - being a guy thing?”

Hagakure laughed awkwardly. “Oh that? Yeah, it’s pretty weird. I mean, it isn’t like it’s totally out of the blue, no one ever said we were gonna be reincarnated as our original genders anyways. Maybe I should be more freaked out than I am? It just hasn’t been that big of a deal for some reason. I actually don’t mind being a guy.” 

“Well,” Izuku searched for something to say to that. “That’s good, I guess. I’m glad it isn’t too weird for you.”

“Thanks.” Hagakure smiled. “But you should probably call me Frank. I mean, maybe we could get away with using our own names if we were in Japan, but here….” Sh-He trailed off.

“It would seem really strange. Two British kids using Japanese names, when no one in their families were from Japan,” Izuku finished. “You’re right.” Hagakure- Frank, nodded in agreement. Izuku looked out the window, trying to piece his thoughts together. 

“It’s not just the fact that you’re a guy now that’s strange,” he said eventually. “It’s that you’re a year older than me, when I know you were still alive when I-” He choked on his words, an image of Shigaraki’s twisted face flashing through his mind. “When I died.”

“Yeah, that is weird.” Frank frowned. I was- I was killed a year later than you. Things got-” he swallowed. “-things got really bad, after you died.” He seemed to see the questions forming in Izuku’s mind. “Please don’t ask, I’d rather not talk about it. It’s not like it matters anymore.” He seemed to be trying to convince herself of that. “It doesn’t matter.” 

It did matter though, at least to Izuku. It meant that anyone he knew could be anywhere in time. That it didn’t matter when they died, they could appear in a completely random order. What if a villain had already aged to adulthood in this world, and could use all the spells they wanted, while Izuku and Frank were stuck as kids? What if some of his other friends weren’t even born yet? What if-

“Izu-James. Please stop, please!” Frank’s half sob broke Izuku from his thoughts- he must’ve been muttering out loud again. His old classmate looked close to tears, and guilt settled in Izuku’s gut as he realized it was all his fault. “Please, I just- I just want to be happy in this new world. I don’t want to think about that.”

Unspoken words built up in his throat, but refused to come out, leaving him choking. “Y-yeah. Yeah, we can just… not talk about it. Just enjoy our lives here for now.” Frank gave an appreciative smile, and Izuku somehow managed to smile back, though his guilt and worries wouldn’t leave him. 

Izuku and his parents left, having promised to keep in touch. As glad as he was to see someone he remembered from his past life, the fact that others were here at all had opened up questions Izuku was terrified to learn the answers to.

Not that fear would stop him, if it did end up being a huge problem. He was a hero, after all.

———————————————————

Dad held Izuku’s hand to keep him from getting lost in the crowd, swinging it back and forth lightly. “Are you excited? You haven’t been to a Quidditch game since you were four; we just haven’t had the time.”

“You were probably too young to remember it,” Mother pipes in, carrying snacks and merchandise in her arms. “It’s hard to believe it’s been three years since then. You’ve grown so fast!”

Izuku smiles up at them. “Yeah, I’m really excited!” He’d discovered Quidditch during his studies of the magical world, and remembered his parents talking about it over breakfast while reading the newspaper. He’d quizzed them on every detail, and felt he now had a good understanding of the sport, but he suspected seeing it in person would be an entirely different experience.

Mother ruffled his hair lightly, daftly stepping out of two wizards in garishly bright robes rushing past her. “I’m so glad. And we’ll be meeting up with Frank and Augusta as well! I’m so glad you two get along well.” In between their get-togethers with the Longbottoms, Izuku and Frank had taken to writing each other letters whenever possible, and sending them by owls. While it was frustrating, coming from a world where they could’ve just texted or called each other, writing letters certainly had its own charm. 

Izuku had learned that Frank had discovered Quidditch at a much younger age than he, and had absolutely fallen in love with the sport. This meant that Izuku was currently sporting pale blue, as Frank’s favorite team, the Appleby Arrows, was the team he was supporting in this game, where they were playing against the Wimbourne Wasps. 

The Potters found their isle, and slid down the row of comfortable chairs, just a step below the box office seats. As they came closer, Izuku could clearly see his friend coming into focus, Frank waving his arms excitedly. 

“James!” His friend wrapped him in a hug as soon as they were close enough. “This is gonna be so awesome! We get to watch the Arrows play in an actual match!”

“That is pretty cool,” Izuku agreed. “Didn’t you say the Arrows and the Wasps are rivals?” 

Frank nodded solemnly, like the eight year old he physically was. “Yeah, a long time ago, one of the Wasp beaters hit a wasp nest at the Arrows’ seeker, and the two have been big rivals ever since. This should be really exciting!”

“As exciting as it most certainly will be,” Augusta said dryly, “You two might want to take your seats, before those behind you find a way to really drill holes in your head. The two boys spun around to see a group of fans decked out in merchandise, glaring at them. Embarrassed, Izuku quickly took his seat, Frank right behind him. 

The game itself was amazing. Izuku watched in awe as the players zoomed back and forth on their brooms, passing the quaffle between them so fast that Izuku barely had any time to react. He found himself quickly getting into the game, jumping up and cheering with Frank when one of the Arrows chasers expertly looped around the Wasps’ keeper and tossed the quaffle into the hoop, putting their team another ten points above their rivals.

“Quentin Sparrow is one of the best chasers in the European League at the moment,” Frank informed him, catching his breath from the constant cheering. “The Arrows were really lucky to score the guy, but the problem is that he has lots of beef with one of the Wasps’ beaters, so there might be some fouls pulled…” Sure enough, soon after the game commenced, one of the yellow and black clad beaters “accidentally” rammed his broom into Sparrow as he was about to receive a pass, earning a free shot for the Arrows. Frank and Izuku booed the Wasps as loud as they could. 

The way the players moved, the stunts they pulled off, the thrill of the game… it was all amazing! Izuku could feel his heart soar with anticipation just watching them. He wanted to learn how to do that, how to move through the air like that. But for now, he was content with watching. 

The game continued along this exciting vein, and ended about three hours later, when Amelia Amerby, the seeker for the Arrows, pulled into a dive, shooting straight through the two opposing beaters who were trying to close ranks around her, looped around the quaffle, which was in the middle of being tossed, and closed her fingers around a small golden sparkle, which must’ve been the snitch. At that, half of the crowd, the half covered in blue and silver, deafened everybody with their victorious screams. Magical lights in the shape of arrows were shot into the air, and the winning team started doing victory laps around the stadium. 

That night, once the celebrations were over and the two families had parted ways and returned to their homes, Izuku turned to his parents, eyes still wide with wonder from the match. 

“Can I learn to fly like that?” He asked.

Dad smiled. “Of course you can. I think a broomstick might be a good present for your eighth birthday. What do you think of that?”

Izuku’s responding squeal was all the confirmation his dad seemed to need. 

———————————————————

“Somehow, I’m totally not surprised to find you in the library.” Izuku’s head shot up from his book, and he turned to see Frank peering around the shelf at him, looking amused. “We just got here,” the other boy explained. “You probably didn’t hear us.”

“N-no, I didn’t! Sorry about that.” Izuku marked his page and shut the book, putting it down as Frank plopped down next to him in one of the plush armrests that littered their library. 

“It’s alright.” Frank smiled at him. “What were you looking at anyways?”

Izuku gave a half shrug. “I know you don’t want to think about being reincarnations or anything, but I can’t help it! My brain won’t stop going back to the idea of people reincarnating throughout time, so I’ve been looking in history books, to see if anyone matches up with someone we know.” He sighed. “So far no luck, but I did just start. I can’t expect results that quickly.”

Frank looked away awkwardly, and Izuku wondered if he should’ve brought the topic up at all. A part of him was hitting himself; didn’t he just say that Frank didn’t want to talk about being reincarnated? But the other boy was literally the _only_ person Izuku could confide in at the moment, at least until they hopefully found another reincarnation. And Izuku couldn’t do this alone, now that he knew he wasn’t the only one in this universe. He just couldn’t. 

To his pleasant surprise, however, Frank seemed willing to talk about it with him. “I get what you’re trying to do, but how would we know if any of those people in the history books are reincarnations? Neither of us have anything close to our old names or appearances. I’m not even the same _gender!_ Besides, who’s to say that, if there was anyone who came here a long time ago, they even made it into the history books?”

“I see your point,” Izuku conceded. “But can you imagine someone like Kacchan not trying to make a big enough splash to be remembered in history?”

Frank gave that a moment of thought. “Fair point. I guess we’ll just have to look for mysterious explosions, or stories of wizards who somehow destroyed entire towns in a fit of rage.”

Izuku decided to ignore that last part. Kacchan wasn’t that bad. (Not anymore, at least.) “So you’ll help me then?”

Frank smiled. “Where do you want me to start looking?” 

Izuku beamed and directed his friend to the row of shelves next to him. “I’m currently on wizarding history during the medieval times. Apparently Muggles only occasionally determined correctly whether someone really was a witch or not, and even then the witch in question could just cast a spell that made them immune to burning.” He picked his book back up again. “My favorite person that I’ve read about is Addison Booth, who attended as many witch burnings as he could, cast the flame freezing charm on whoever they were burning, then faked their deaths and smuggled them to safety.”

“A real stand up guy,” Frank agreed. He bent over to lean at Izuku’s book, and furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. “Hang on, this goes on to say that he was promptly ostracized from the wizarding community, for a ‘disgraceful and wasteful use of magic that endangered the lives of wizards’. What does that even mean?”

“It means saving muggles from being burned alive was considered wasteful and dangerous, even though this was technically before the Statute of Secrecy was put into effect.” As much as Izuku tried, he couldn’t keep the bitterness from his voice. “I guess some wizards thought saving the lives of those who didn’t have magic was somehow a bad thing.” 

“There are still some wizards who think that.” The two looked up to see Izuku’s Dad, looking at them with a sad smile. “Most are tuned out as the minority, but some are very old and powerful families, and have a lot of leeway with the Ministry of Magic. (aka the wizarding government for Britain. Izuku hadn’t left the London Public Library for a week after learning about that.) They are the ones who try and pass as many harsh laws on wizard-muggle relations as they can. And you must know,” he added, back when Addison Booth lived, there was a real danger of Muggles finding out one was a wizard. Flame freezing charms may have worked when one had their wand on them, but plenty of wizards were still killed, all across the country.”

“But that doesn’t mean he should’ve left those people to die, just because they were Muggles!” Frank protested hotly. “They were being killed and persecuted as well! Shouldn’t the wizards and persecuted Muggles have banded together to try and help each other?”

“And I agree completely with you,” Dad said. “It wasn’t right, that they hurt those who tried to help Muggles. I’m just giving you a bit more context into that time. Everyone was paranoid, and terrified of being outed as a wizard to their neighbors. Fear makes people think irrationally, and much of that irrational fear was directed at muggles.” 

“And a lot of that irrational fear and resentment continues to this day, even though the witch burnings and such have been over for centuries,” Izuku summarized. Dad nodded gravely. “That’s awful.”

“That it is. And that’s why those of us who know better have to be thoughtful and open minded and never judge someone by how much magic they have in their veins, or what their parentage is.” 

“And stick up to anyone who says otherwise.” Frank added.

Dad smiled. “Absolutely.” 

———————————————————

Izuku, freshly eight, looked down at his new broom, which was laying innocently on the grass. It was the newest model, and boy was it sleek, with a polished handle and neat bristles. And it was all Izuku’s. He could hardly believe his luck. 

From a few feet away, Mother smiled at him encouragingly. “Alright, now stick your hand straight over the broom, and say ‘up!’ Do it firmly now, the broom is much more likely to respond to you if you sound confidant.” Izuku wondered just how sentient the broom was, but decided against asking for once, eager to get started with flying.

He put his hand over the broomstick, and mustered up the most confidant voice he could manage. “Up!” The broom sailed right into his hand, hitting his palm with a satisfying smack. 

“Good!” Now you mount the broom like so.” With his mother’s gentle guidance, Izuku pulled himself onto his broom, and found himself hovering in the air, just a few feet above the ground.

“This is so cool!” he breathed, looking down at the empty space between him and the ground. To think, he could do this, hover without a flying quirk- it was cooler than he’d ever dreamed it would be. “How do I move forward and backward?”

“To move forward, you need to lean forward slightly. The farther you lean, the faster you will go. Pulling up has the opposite effect, and will slow you to a stop. To go up or down, or left or right, you tilt your broom in the direction you want to go.” Izuku nodded thoughtfully. It was like one of those segway things he, Uraraka, and Iida had taken once then, just with a few more directions that could be taken. He leaned forward, and felt his broom moving along with him. Gaining confidence, Izuku took a few laps around the field outside their house, where they had set up his broom.

“You’re a natural!” Mother praised, as Izuku pulled to a stop in front of her. “I could see you playing for your house team once you reach Hogwarts.

Izuku perked up. “They have quidditch at Hogwarts? Is it one team per house, or is there more? Is there an age qualification? You did say that I’ll be spending seven years going to that school, do they have teams separated by age?”

Mother answered his questions good naturedly. “They do have quidditch, and it’s one team per house. Everyone plays together, but you can only try out for the team in your second year. First years take flying lessons, so those who aren’t from wizarding families, or those who simply haven’t flown before, can get used to flying.”

“Huh,” Izuku mused. “I guess I have four years to practice before I can try out then.” Surely that was enough for him to make the team, right? But so many other kids from wizarding families had that time to practice too, and what if they were just more talented than him? Izuku really like flying, and quidditch. He wanted to be on a team!

Now that he thought about it, Hogwarts was only three years away at this point. It was strange, how it was suddenly getting closer and closer. Izuku was filled with excitement for the day he could finally go off to a real magic school, and his research on magic could begin in earnest.

And maybe, just maybe, he’d meet some people he already knew there.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the short chapter! They'll hopefully start getting longer once Izuku/James goes to Hogwarts. As to why he switches from thinking of Hagakure as Hagakure to Frank, that's because said friend asked for him to call him Frank, and Izuku's honoring his wishes. He still thinks of himself as 'Izuku' rather than 'James', because in his mind that's always going to be his real name.
> 
> Also, all information about the different quidditch teams can in fact be found on pottermore.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The true calm before the storm begins.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so so sorry this chapter is so short! Things have been pretty hectic lately, and I wanted to get something down, even if it didn't come out really long. Think of it as an in between, crossing over from pre-Hogwarts to during Hogwarts. Even if it's not fantastic, I hope you enjoy it anyways until the next chapter comes out!

"I can't believe you're leaving already," Izuku muttered, as he hugged Frank one last time.

Frank gripped him back just as tightly. "I know, I'm gonna miss you too. But it's just one year, and then you'll be joining me! We'll finally get to go to Hogwarts together!"

"Somehow I get the feeling this is going to be the longest year of my somewhat short life," Izuku sighed, but he smiled anyways. They were on platform 93/4, which they had gotten to by running through a brick wall at King's Cross Station in London. This, Izuku felt, was the best way to get to a magical train station.

"Don't worry about it too much," Dad ruffled Izuku's hair. "You've managed ten years of waiting already. What's one more year?"

"But I had Frank with me then," Izuku protested softly. He could see Frank's face fall and immediately felt guilty. "Not that I'm not super excited for you, getting to go to Hogwarts and everything! I just wish we could've been in the same year."

"Me too," Frank said. "I promise I'll write you ever two weeks. How does that sound? You have to write back of course."

"I think that's an excellent idea," Mother interjected, smiling slightly in amusement. "Especially since James' penmanship could use a little work."

"Mother!" Izuku protested, but he couldn't find it in himself to be actually mad or frustrated. "My penmanship is fine!"

"Ehhh," Frank smirked. "As the one on the receiving end of most of your letters, I've got to agree with your mother on this one. Sorry James." Izuku clutched his chest with a hand and gasped dramatically, fighting back the laughter that was bubbling up.

"Maybe you do have a point," he conceded. "I think writing every other week is a great idea. I promise to write back all the time, even if what I'm doing isn't nearly as interesting."

Frank punched his arm lightly. "Aww, don't say that!" Izuku rubbed his arm.

"It's true though. I mean, what could be as interesting as Hogwarts?"

"Point taken." Frank shrugged. "Still, I want to hear from you, okay?"

"Now that that's all settled." Augusta swept in and pulled Frank under her arm for a quick hug. "It's time for you to go. Be careful now, alright? And study hard, I expect your grades to reflect your intelligence."

"Of course Mom." Frank squirmed out from under his mother's iron grip. "Love you too." He gave Izuku a one armed hug and smiled at all of them before grabbing his bags and boarding the red train.

As it pulled away with a shrill noise, Izuku willed away the ache in his chest. It would only be a year, and then he would see Frank again. And in the meantime, he was going to have all of his friend's letters.

—

_14/09_

_To James,_

_I hope this letter doesn't get to you too long after I wrote it, so you don't think I was skimping out on my promise. I wrote this exactly two weeks after I arrived at Hogwarts, I swear! I don't know how long this owl will take though, it's a school one, since I couldn't bring Majesty, Mom still needs her. Did you know they've got an entire tower here filled just with owls? It's called the Owlrey, and I know you'll love it! You should bring Toshi to school with you next year, I think he'll love it._

_Anyways, Hogwarts! It's just as amazing as our parents said it was, no, even better actually! It's a massive stone castle, and it's got a lake that everyone calls the Black Lake, and supposedly there's a giant squid in there, but I haven't seen it yet. The first years cross the lake to get to Hogwarts, but everyone else rides in carriages, so once we're both over first years, we can ride all the way to school together, both train and carriage._

_Ooh, and I got sorted! I can't tell you how the sorting works, because that would spoil all of the fun, but I can tell you that you shouldn't worry about it. It's totally not stressful at all, and if someone says it is, they're just trying to trick you. I know you worry about these things, so I thought I'd let you know beforehand._

_Anyways, I got into Hufflepuff! It's right near the kitchens, which is great because on the first night we got here, they showed us how to get into the kitchens. The food here is better than any food I've ever tasted even better than what they "might serve if we went to a school for superheroes in Japan". I mean, it's seriously that good._

_Sorry, got off track. So, Hufflepuff. Our colors are yellow and black, and our animal is the badger. Do you know anything about badgers? I don't, but they sound pretty cool. Our common room is super comfy, with lots of light from windows, and really comfortable couches and chairs. We've got four-poster beds and copper bed warmers, and it's just super amazing! I won't tell you how to get in, in case you end up in another house, but I'd think you'd like it a lot._

_We've also got prefects, and each house has two for each year. The one who led us to the Hufflepuff common room was Eliza Pierce, and she's really sweet! Plus, all of my roommates are really nice. Not that they're replacing you or anything, because you're my best friend, no one could do that. But you'll love them when you get to meet them next year._

_You'll probably want to know about the teachers, right? Well, I like most of them. My favorite is Flitwick, who teaches charms, and Sprout, who just started this year and teaches herbology. They're both really easygoing, but you still learn a lot in their classes, even if it's just things like wand movements at the moment. According to them, one wrong swish or flick, and you could break your wand in two! You saw how much Ollivander cared about the wands he made, I don't think he would be happy with my if I broke mine my first year of school. (1) Magic is harder than it looks!_

_I think your favorite class, if I have to take a guess, will be transfiguration. McGonagall teaches it, and she's really strict, but she's still fair when it comes to grades. I know how much you enjoyed that book on Animagi that we looked at, that falls under what she teaches. Also, she turned her desk into a pig and back on the first day of class! She still has us working on turning matchsticks into needles, and I'm not that good, but I'm working on it!_

_Anyways, that's all for now. How about you? What are you doing back at home? Can't wait to see you for Christmas break!_

_Frank_

_—_

_04/11_

_To Frank_

_I just received your letter about Halloween at Hogwarts! I appreciate how well you know me, telling me all those stories about the different ghosts you met (2), but keeping the Halloween celebration itself a secret. Since I got your letter, I've been comparing Hogwarts ghosts to what I've read about ghosts from other areas. It's really interesting, I mean, what makes these ghosts decide to haunt Hogwarts, even though most of them didn't die there? I think the answer must lie in their connection to the place. Your story about Helena Ravenclaw is an obvious example, but I'm still trying to figure out what made the Fat Friar stay. Guess I'll have to ask them when I get there!_

_While it's been pretty boring here without you, as usual, yesterday I struck gold with our search for others who reincarnated! William Andrews, known for founding Aberfon Academy of Magic in Nevada(3), who almost single handedly helped ease up tensions between the muggle and wizarding governments in America. He sounds awesome doesn't he? Well, I did some more digging, and as it turns out, his personality and mannerisms match All Might's to a tee! I honestly think that was him! It's kind of disappointing that we ended up too far apart to meet each other, but it's really cool to see him go down in history as a great man once again._

_I talked with Dad about your potions problem that you mentioned, and he says it's either that you added a pinch too much Coneflower, or you need to stir your potion just a bit faster. I trust his word, seeing as he's pretty much doubled the family fortune off of potions. He offered to show both of us some tricks when you visit for Christmas break, does that sound good to you? I'm glad that Slughorn's a pretty understanding teacher at least. From what you've told me, he seems to be a pretty mild-mannered guy._

_I've gotten a lot better at riding a broom since I last saw you. It's getting pretty cold now, so I need to bundle up, but it's so much fun I almost don't feel the chill! I've actually been practicing using my quirk to enhance my reflexes while I'm on my broom, which means I can pull off turns twice as quick as I did before. As soon as I can, I'm gonna try out for my house team!_

_Speaking of quirks, how is your project going? I know you were worried about asking Flitwick to help you, but I think you should go for it! Considering everything you've written to me about him, he'd probably be the best person for you to ask, and not just because he seems to be the most trustworthy, but also because I think charms goes right up your quirk's alley. And I promise I'll help too, once I get to Hogwarts!_

_Can't wait to see you!_

_James_

_—_

_09/01_

_To James,_

_I can't believe It's already January! It feels like Christmas blew by so fast, and now I've been back at school for a week already! I know I usually write after two weeks, but I couldn't help myself, I had to tell you what happened as soon as I could._

_I talked to Flitwick about my goal with my quirk, just like you were pestering me to do since November and all throughout break. I went up to him after charms class, because it's my last class of that day, and I started to ask him about how I could make my clothes go invisible with me. I showed him my quirk so he could see what I was talking about. He had tons of questions, which I can totally see why, but I was freaking out at the time about being put on the spot like that. And everything came spilling out._

_I'm really sorry! I didn't tell him about you or anything, I promise! It's just, everything is so different at Hogwarts, and I've had you to talk to for almost as long as I can remember, and writing to you is great, but some things you can't put in writing, you know? I told him everything about Toru Hagakure._

_And he accepted it! He believed me! And now he's going to help me turn my clothes invisible along with my body with my quirk! It's like this massive weight has been pulled off of my chest, and I can breathe again. If you ever feel like that once you get to Hogwarts, you can go to him!_

_Anyways, I just wanted to let you know that this all went down. I hope you're not mad! Please don't be mad!(4)_

_Can't wait to see you at Easter!_

_Frank_

_—_

_16/05_

_To Frank,_

_I'm so glad to hear you aced your potions test! I always knew you could do it, and I'm really glad that you proved to yourself that you're capable of doing it. I'm also glad the work we did with potions over break paid off!_

_It's amazing to hear how far you and Flitwick have progressed with your quirk. If it helps, I've been working on my quirk too. I can get it up to five percent now, which means I can jump floor to ceiling and back in seconds without breaking a sweat, and my punches hit harder than they otherwise would. Not that I'm slacking on other things! I've been exercising all the time, because I know my quirk needs me too. Plus it's a lot of fun!_

_I can't believe summer's almost here. I can't wait to spend a few months with you. And then it's off to Hogwarts! Well, back off to Hogwarts, for you, first time for me. I've got lots of new information about magic I've discovered, and I can't wait to share it all with you. I know it'll be an awesome summer._

_That's all for now!_

_James_

_—_

_01/06_

_To James,_

_You'll never believe who I found!_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Extra tidbits that didn't make the final cut:
> 
> (1) Izuku traveled to Diagon Alley with the Longbottoms to get Franks supplies and wand. It was one of the coolest days in his second lifetime.
> 
> (2) Frank went around the castle interviewing ghost about their stories, and how they died. Some were pleased to tell their tale, others not so much. Peeves tried to lock Frank in an unused room before the Bloody Baron came along.
> 
> (3) At first, Illvermorny was intended to be the only wizarding school in North America. Considering there are over a million wizards in the United States alone, the idea was quickly dashed. There are about twenty or so schools scattered around the states, as well as a two in Canada and one in Mexico.
> 
> (4) He wasn't mad. It took three different letters to assure Frank of this.
> 
> -
> 
> **Seeing as this left on a bit of a cliffhanger, and the next chapter goes straight to the Hogwarts express, skipping over Izuku's own trip to Diagon Alley, how about a little game? Here's a list of the wands of almost all the reincarnated characters, most of whom have yet to show up. Can you guess which wand belongs to who?**
> 
> ** _Wands:_ **
> 
> ** _Blackthorn, dragon heartstring, 12 1/2 inches, rigid_ **
> 
> ** _Willow, phoenix feather, 9 3/4 inches, springy_ **
> 
> ** _Alder, unicorn hair, 11 1/2 inches, springy_ **
> 
> ** _Pear, 10 1/2 inches, unicorn hair, pliable_ **
> 
> ** _Silver Lime, phoenix feather, 11 1/4 inches, rigid_ **
> 
> ** _Spruce, dragon heartstring, 12 inches, flexible_ **
> 
> ** _Dogwood, unicorn hair, 12 3/4 inches, flexible_ **
> 
> ** _Cypress, unicorn hair, 10 inches, highly flexible_ **
> 
> ** _Laurel, 11 2/3 inches, dragon heartstring, unyielding_ **
> 
> ** _Larch, phoenix feather, 11 inches, slightly springy_ **
> 
> ** _Elm, phoenix feather, 13 inches, pliable_ **
> 
> ** _Pine, phoenix feather, 11 1/3 inches, springy_ **


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An outsider's look at the mystery that is James Potter. The butterfly effect is in full swing, although no one knows it yet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And here we have a non-Izuku POV. I wanted to get another perspective, so show how he looks from another person's point of view. And of course, to introduce some main characters. I hope you enjoy!

Lily Evans slipped onto the Hogwarts Express, trying to keep the tears from falling down her face. As she made her way down the hallway of the train, she furiously wiped at her eyes, willing unsuccessfully for the wetness to just go away. After all that time of waiting and wishing and hoping, she was finally off to Hogwarts. But because of that dumb letter she and Sev read, she was unable to really think about how amazing it was.

Tuney was mad at her. Tuney almost never got mad at her. They used to be best friends, and now Lily had gone and screwed it up! And now she was leaving for a whole school year, so she couldn’t really make it up to her sister. Would Tuney have gotten over it by the time she got back? What if she didn’t?

Without really paying attention, Lily slipped inside one of the relatively empty compartments, where two boys seemed to be having a lighthearted discussion. Sitting down at the other end of the compartment, she pressed her head against the glass and tried to ignore everything around her.

“Hey, are you alright?” Lily nearly jumped at the noise and looked up. One of the boys, the one with glasses, had stopped his conversation with the other boy, and was now looking at her with concern. “You look like you’ve been crying.”

“Oh! It’s nothing, I’m fine.” Lily rubbed at her eyes, trying to get the last tears out of them. This was just what she needed, everyone else at Hogwarts thinking she was a crybaby. 

The boy with glasses didn’t seem convinced. “If you’re sure. But, ah, if you want to talk about it, we don’t mind listening.” He gestured at himself and the other boy.

The other boy raised an eyebrow, looking as though he was fighting off a smirk. “We don’t?”

“I don’t mind,” Glasses boy corrected, sending a slight reproving glance in the other boy’s direction. “Just ignore him if you want.”

The other boy made an affronted noise, and Lily couldn’t help but giggle at their antics. Maybe they weren’t so bad after all. “Thanks, but I’m alright, really.” Should she introduce herself? She didn’t see why not, they seemed like nice kids. “My name is Lily.”

“I’m James,” Glasses boy said. “That’s Sirius.” Sirius gave her what was probably supposed to be a haughty nod, but it looked kind of ridiculous. “It’s nice to meet you, Lily.” 

“Yeah yeah, nice to meet you and everything,” Sirius said. He turned back to James. “Now, about that Quidditch match-” 

Lily turned back to the window while they continued to talk. She didn’t know much at all about Quidditch, besides the little Sev had told her, and it wasn’t much, since he wasn’t very into the sport. Still the little interaction with the other two boys had given her hope for the rest of the year.

The compartment door slid open, and Sev entered inside. Lily felt a strange mix of relief and annoyance: relief at the idea that someone she knew well was here, someone she could talk to without feeling nervous, and annoyed, because he was the reason Tuney was mad at her, and even if she could talk to him, she didn’t really feel like it at the moment. 

Sev sat down across from her and looked at her expectantly. Lily turned away.

“I don’t want to talk to you,” she said. 

She saw his wince. “Why not?”

“Tuney hates me. Because we saw that letter from Dumbledore.”

“So what?” He said. Lily glared at him. She knew Sev didn’t have any siblings, and that he didn’t like his own family much, but he seemed to have it out for Tuney since the very beginning.

“She’s my sister, that’s what!” Lily snapped back. 

“She’s only a-” He cut himself off, but Lily was sure he was about to say muggle. “But we’re going! We’re really off to Hogwarts!” 

“Yeah.” Lily thought about it, and it finally started to hit her. She was going to a magic school. To learn Magic. “Yeah!”

“You’d better be in Slytherin,” Snape encouraged, which sounded nice, even though Lily had no idea what that meant. A school house, maybe? 

“Is that where you want to go?” Lily whipped her head around to see James and Sirius watching them curiously. “That’s pretty neat. Were either of your parents in that house?”

Severus looked down at his hands, clearly uncomfortable. “My mom was.”

“That’s cool!” James encouraged. “I’m personally hoping for Gryffindor or Ravenclaw myself. I’ve been told I’m a good match for both. Hufflepuff is pretty cool as well.”

Sev coughed. “Isn’t that kind of contradictory?” James frowned.

“What do you mean?” Severus did little to hide his smirk.

“Well, if you’re thinking you’ll be in Gryffindor, there’s not much chance you’ll be in Ravenclaw, is there? Seeing as Gryffindors are all the brains over brawn type of people.”

James’ eyes glinted behind his glasses. “I didn’t know Chivalry and Bravery meant the same thing as “brawn”. My mistake, I suppose.” Considering James had asked Sev if he’d had a parent in Slytherin, Lily assumed James had one in Gryffindor, which meant Sev just insulted Jame’s family. She almost cringed at the second hand embarrassment. Hopefully James wasn’t mad at her too.

Still, that was the first she’d heard anyone describe the houses before. “So to get into Gryffindor, you need to be brave and chivalrous?” She asked.

“Well, that’s what you need to value most,” James answered. “Slytherin values cunning and ambition, Hufflepuff values fairness and hard work, and Ravenclaw values wit and creativity.” 

Lily thought about all of the houses. “I think I like Gryffindor the best,” she admitted. It had always been important to her to stick up for others, and that sounded like a very Gryffindor thing to do. Maybe Hufflepuff as well? 

James smiled at her. “Me too. I think most people end up where their parents ended up because families teach certain values to be more important than others.”

“Think that means I’ll be in Slytherin?” For some reason, Sirius looked gloomy at the prospect. “My whole family’s been there for as long as I can remember.”

“It doesn’t have to!” James assured him. “I mean, it’s common, but if you value something else anyway, then that’s probably where you’ll go.”

Lily leaned back in her seat. “Wherever I end up, I’m just excited to go to Hogwarts. I still can’t believe I’m going to learn actual magic, it’s like a dream come true.”

“Right?! I’m so excited for so many things!” James’ eyes lit up. “I’ve been researching all different kinds of magic since I was little, so I think I have a pretty good grasp on the different concepts, but it seems like there’s always something new to discover.”

Lily nodded eagerly, happy to have found someone who shared her passion when it came to learning magic. “Oh, I agree! I mean I haven’t known I was magical for very long, and for most of that time I just knew what Sev told me,” she nodded at Severus, who seemed to be avoiding everyone’s gaze. “-but I’ve been spending pretty much all of my time since I bought my books at Diagon Alley reading up on the different types of magic. I think potions is my favorite so far, there are just so many uses for it!”

“Oh definitely,” James said. “I’m looking forward to Transfiguration most, in part because my friend told me I’d like it, and in part because it’s so interesting! I mean, plenty of those kinds of spells totally violate the law of conservation of mass. So it just makes me wonder, just how much control does magic have over the laws of physics and nature as a whole? I hope our teacher goes over that in class.” Lily didn’t know that much about physics, much less any of the laws of physics, but she did understand wanting to know how science and magic interacted with each other, and she told him as such.

“Oh, fantastic.” Sirius rolled his eyes, and Lily nearly jumped, having almost forgotten he was there, wrapped up as she was in her conversation with James. “Now there are two of them.” Deflating a bit, Lily glanced back at Sev, to see if he thought the same. Severus looked mortified, for reasons Lily didn’t understand. 

“I still don’t understand how you can brush off magic as not that big of a deal,” James protested. “I mean, come on! It’s magic!”

“Yeah, and we use it every day of our lives,” Sirius countered. “It’s not nearly as big of a deal as you’re making it out to be. Lily I can understand, because she’s clearly muggleborn, but aren’t you a pureblood?”

“I don’t see why that matters,” James said. “Just because I’ve had it for a while doesn’t make it any less interesting.”

“I don’t think I could ever get bored of learning about magic,” Lily added. 

The discussion most likely would have gone on much longer, but it was at that moment that the trolley lady pulled up to their compartment pushing a cart full of candies, the likes of which Lily had never seen before. James and Sirius jumped out of their seats and proceeded to buy some of everything, then passed it out to her and Sev. The four of them settled down for a while to enjoy the different treats. 

Lily looked at one of the candy packages. “Betty Botts Every Flavor Beans?”

“Careful,” Severus warned. “They mean every flavor.”

“I’ve gotten pebble flavor before,” James put in helpfully.

“Hah, I can top that!” Sirius crowed. “Horse poop.” The rest of them ‘ewwwed’ in unison, just just made him laugh. Lily looked the box over carefully, then selected an inconspicuous-looking pink one.

She popped it in her mouth. “Candy Floss! Not bad.”

You really got lucky with that,” Sev told her. There four of them split the rest of the box evenly and picked through their portions. Lily ended up getting such interesting flavors as lemonade, grass, hardwood, and black beans.

Severus nibbled on a white bean and made a face. Lily raised an eyebrow at him. 

“What did you just get?”

“Despair,” he deadpanned. James choked on his bean. 

After the Every Flavor Beans were (mostly) gone, they started on the chocolate frogs, where each package seemed to hold a different famous witch or wizard. Lily mostly ignored her frogs, choosing instead to watch Morgana hum quietly and Clove the Clever scratch his nose. 

It was as they were starting on the pumpkin pastries that something James had said from their earlier conversation flitted through her mind. She looked up at him, still munching contentedly on chocolate. “So, you have a friend who’s also going to Hogwarts?”

“Huh? Oh, yeah!” He nodded eagerly. “His name’s Frank. He’s going to be in his second year this year, and he’s in Hufflepuff.”

Sirius snorted. “Yikes. Might not want to be seen with him then. Everyone knows Hufflepuffs are total pansies.” James glared at him.

“That’s not true at all! And considering Hufflepuff’s values, I’d think they were the exact opposite. Besides, some of the most amazing people I’ve ever met would’ve been in Hufflepuff had they gone to school in the UK. And Frank himself is amazing, you’d be lucky to be his friend.” 

“Didn’t you learn anything from earlier?” Severus quipped. “Don’t insult the different houses around this boy. He’ll tear you down immediately for it.”

James winced, looking at Lily. “I wasn’t that bad, was I?”

“I didn’t think so,” she said honestly. “I think it’s good that you’re standing up for your friends.” He smiled, relieved. 

Sirius and Severus still seemed to be looked in some sort of “sarcasm standoff”. “I suppose you would like Hufflepuff, wouldn’t you,” Sirius said snidely. “It isn’t like you’d be able to get in any of the other houses. ‘Bit to muggle for the Slytherins to accept you anyways.”

Severus bristled. “I’ll have you know, Black, that my mother was in Slytherin, and even if I’m not an inbred pureblood like you, I’ll be able to thrive there anyways.”

“Doesn’t that kind of determination make you even more eligible for Slytherin?” James cut in dryly. “Also, can you two stop it? You’re both being huge as-jerks, at the moment.” A moment of stunned silence, the two looking right at him. James figited uncomfortably. Lily wondered if she should speak up.

Sirius let out a bark of laughter. “You can say asshole, you know. We’re all eleven, we all know tons of curse words.” James’ surprised sputtering at that got a laugh out of Lily, and even Sev gave off a startled huff. 

“And also, you two should say sorry,” Lily said. “You both just said some really nasty things, so you’re both to blame.”

The two dark haired boys side-eyed each other.

“Sorry, I suppose,” Severus muttered.

“Right.” Lily glared at Sirius. “Sorry and everything.”

And with that, the four of them fell back into somewhat companionable conversation for the rest of the trip, discussing what type of classes they were most looking forward to, what they had heard about the teachers from James’ friend Frank and Sirius’ cousins, what the sorting ceremony might entail. Sev and Sirius traded jabs throughout the entire trp, although they didn’t seem nearly as mean spirited.

All to soon, it was dark outside, and they were pulling into the train station. Nerves flaring up again, Lily looked at her companions for reassurance, of which she received plenty in smiles and words of encouragement. 

The night air was cool and crisp on Lily’s face, a small breeze chilling her and driving her to pull her robes closer to her chest. The mass of people that followed warmed her slightly, but with that came the anxiety of losing her friends in the crowd. Spotting Severus, she grabbed his arm and held tightly.

He looked at her in surprise, face slightly red from what Lily assumed was the cold. It occurred to her that he might be put off by someone just grabbing him like that. “I don’t want to get lost,” she explained. It might’ve been Lily’s imagination, but Sev seemed to turn redder, nodding at the ground.

“Firs’ years, over here!” Lily and Severus both looked towards where the bellowing noise had come from, to find a massive man with a shaggy beard smiling at them and waving. 

“His name’s Hagrid, I think,” Sev whispered to her. “He’s the groundskeeper.” Lily nodded. They made their way towards him, bumping into James and Sirius on the way.

“There you are!” James smiled. “I was worried we lost you guys.”

“I wasn’t,” Sirius sniffed. 

“Hey, you lot!” Hagrid called. “We’re movin’ over this way, to the boats. Follow me!” Fearful of being left behind, they ran over, finding the other first years already loading into small wooden boats.

“Four to a boat, watch your step,” Hagrid reminded them. The four settled down into a boat, and it pushed off on its own, sailing through the waters.

“Frank says there’s a giant squid in this lake,” James murmured, glancing down at the black waters. “I’m not sure I believe that. Giant squids are around fifty-nine feet long and can weigh over a ton. They need much more room to move around. Plus, does a small lake even have the kind of food a giant squid eats?”

“My cousin also says there’s a giant squid in the lake, and she’s actually seen it,” Sirius informed him. “Maybe it’s a magic squid, and that’s why it can survive here.” James remained somewhat unconvinced, but Lily scanned the waters for any signs of a massive squid. It was suspiciously flat. 

“Everyone watch yer heads, we’re goin’ on under a low pass.” Hagrid leaned forward as if to demonstrate what he meant, although that didn’t seem to make much of a difference for him. Lily ducked as they sailed under the branches of a low hanging tree and turned a corner…. And got their first real sight of Hogwarts.

It was _amazing_. A castle out of a fantasy book, with magnificent stone walls and turrets and towers, lights flickering in all the many windows, settled on top of an incredibly green hill. Lily could help but stare in awe.

She turned to Sev. “Are all magic schools like this?”

“No way,” Sev vowed. “Hogwarts is the best.” With what Lily was seeing, she could certainly believe it.

With a gentle thump, they landed on solid ground. Lily jumped out of the boat and helped Severus out, while James and Sirius clambered out the other side. Along with the other first years and Hagrid, they made their way up towards the castle. 

Lily couldn’t help but bounce on the balls of her feet. She was finally here! Not only was she here, but she had Sev right at her side, along with two new friends (although Sirius was still pretty questionable). She was about to study _magic_. And she just knew that when she made it home, she could make things up with Tuney. Everything was perfect.

Now she just needed to be sorted.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The unknown reincarnated person Frank found didn't make the chapter, but rest assured, they will be in the next one. Plus, sorting is on the agenda! What house do you think Izuku will join? 
> 
> Thank you so much for reading, and please review!


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everyone is sorted, almost everyone is happy with the results. Izuku meets an old friend.

A stern looking older woman met them in front of the doors to the great hall, which towered over all of them, extremely ornate and well polished, considering how old Hogwarts supposedly was. Izuku looked from the doors to the woman, and immediately got the sense that, like Aizawa, she wasn’t one to cross. 

“Who is she?” Lily murmured from next to him. Izuku shrugged helplessly at his new friend. 

“Professor McGonagall, I think,” Sirius whispered back from his other side. “She’s head of Gryffindor house, and she’s supposed to be really strict.” 

So this was the professor that taught transfiguration? Izuku swallowed nervously. He hoped she ended up being as fair as she was strict.

“Welcome to Hogwarts,” She announced once everyone had quieted down. Her voice was clipped and professional, but Izuku could also sense warmth from it. “I am Professor McGonagall, headmistress of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. In a few moments, you will walk through these doors, and be sorted into your houses. Each one of you will be in either Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, or Slytherin.” The gathered first years all starting muttering to each other again. Izuku exchanged nervous smiles with those around him.

After a sharp look from McGonagall, and everyone quieted down once again. She continued: “Whatever house you are sorted in is the house you will remain with all seven of your years at Hogwarts. They are like your family, and you will be sleeping, eating, and going to classes with them. I expect you to treat each other with respect, and you will earn it in turn.

“At Hogwarts, every student has the ability to earn house points. Good deeds and excellent work in classes will earn you house points, and breaking rules will lose you house points. The house with the most points at the end of the year wins the house cup.”

There was a small knock on the door. McGonagall nodded to herself along with it. “It’s time then. Follow me.” 

Izuku took a deep breath and let it out slowly, trying to dispel all the nervous energy he had. The grand doors opened, and all the first years followed McGonagall inside the great hall.

“Do you know how we get sorted into the houses?” Lily fretted. “She didn’t say.”

“Think it hurts?” Severus mused, although out of sarcasm or not, Izuku couldn’t tell.

Sirius snorted. “Not a bloody chance. There’s no way my cousins would consent to going to this school if getting put into Slytherin was in any way inconvenient to them. I’d bet it’s something really boring.”

“Frank told me it doesn’t hurt, that there’s no reason to be worried,” Izuku agreed. He wouldn’t lie about something like this.” 

Their conversation stopped as they entered the great hall, and Izuku could feel his mouth dropped open. It was just as wonderful as Frank had described it, with the long grand tables, floating candles, and vaulted ceiling charmed to look like a cloudless night sky.

“Oh, I read about the ceiling!” Lily whispered to him. “That’s so amazing, if I didn’t know about it, it would look almost real!”

“I can’t wait to learn that charm,” Izuku whispered back. “There just seems to be so many uses for it! Even if it’s just making your bedroom look like you’re sleeping under the stars. It’s probably a sixth or seventh year though.” Or they might not teach it at all, to make sure no one messed with the great hall ceiling. Izuku would have to research independently then.

He looked around to see if he could find Frank. Hufflepuff’s colors were yellow and black, right? His eyes scanned the table of people wearing said colors, bout couldn’t find his oldest friend.

They stopped in front of the head table, where those who Izuku could only assume were the teachers were seated. McGonagall grabbed an old pointy hat and a worn down stool, bringing them in front of the head table and setting the former on top of the latter. 

Izuku watched curiously, then excitedly, as the hat burst into song, singing in a jolly voice about all the wonderful qualities of the different houses. When the hat was finished, everyone at the four tables burst into applause, although whether it was for the song or for their own houses being praised, Izuku couldn’t tell.

“I will now read out your names, and you will come up and try on the Sorting Hat,” McGonagall announced. “It will then tell you what house you belong to. Now, Abertan, Hannah!” A little redhead walked nervously up front, and sat down on the stool. McGonagall placed the hat on her.

“So it’s just a hat telling us where we’ll be.” Lily looked immensely relieved. 

“A bit anticlimactic,” Sirius huffed.

“RAVENCLAW!” The hat called out. With a massive smile, Hannah jumped up and gave the hat back to their teacher, running over to join the cheering table in blue.

It seemed their were only three eleven year olds with last names beginning with an A, and only two with B-names that came before ‘Bl’. No time had passed at all before “Black, Sirius!” Was called to the front. Giving them all a grin, Sirius strutted up to the seat, looking totally at ease as the hat was placed upon his head. A minute later, “GRYFFINDOR!” Was called out for everyone to hear. 

Severus scoffed, but halfheartedly joined Izuku and Lily in cheering for their friend as he took his place at the red and gold table. Izuku couldn’t help but notice the clapping for Sirius was unusually subdued compared to the five before him. For the others, every table had clapped, even if half heartedly, but while Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and especially Gryffindor were cheering, it was muted with surprise. The Slytherins weren’t clapping at all, save for a few. Many looked scandalized. 

Sirius had mentioned that his whole family had been in Slytherin. Maybe that was why?

The sorting continued on. “Candleworth, Jack,” became the first Hufflepuff, A girl with heterochromia like Shouto joined Gryffindor, a snotty looking boy named Edgeworth became a Slytherin, followed by another boy named Eines, who looked much nicer.

Then “Evans, Lily,” was called. Izuku gave Lily a reassuring smile, which was shyly returned. Lily made her way to the front of the room, where McGonagall put the sorting hat on her head. After a bit over a minute, “GRYFFINDOR!” was called out, and Lily leaped off to go join Sirius at their table. He immediately made room for her, and she sat down right next to him. 

“Oh,” Severus muttered softly. The boy was looking extremely downcast.

“It’s okay!” Izuku told him. “Just because you might be in different houses, doesn’t mean you can’t-”

“You really don’t know much about how houses work, do you?” Severus sneered, more out of anger and hurt than anything. He turned away before Izuku could respond. “Lupin, Remus” became a Gryffindor, the quiet boy joining Lily and Sirius.

McDonald, Mary became a Gryffindor and McNear, Charles became a Ravenclaw. They were getting closer and closer. Izuku’s nerves were starting to tingle. Pettegrew, Peter joined Gryffindor after a lengthy debate with the hat, and then it was Izuku’s turn.

“Potter, James.” At the sound of his name, Izuku made his way to the stool, and felt the sorting hat be put on his head, slipping down over his eyes.

_“Oh! Another one!”_ A voice, the hat’s voice, was inside Izuku’s head. _“So many at the same time. How unusual.”_

“You know that I’ve lived a past life before?” Izuku thought, surprised. “Wait, I guess it does make sense. You would need to really understand a person’s mind and memories in order to figure out what house to sort them in.”

_“Correct!”_ The hat sounded pleased. _“You have an extremely fine mind, young man. And don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone about this, just as I have not told on any of the others that I’ve sorted.”_ The hat’s merriment seemed to fade. _“Although I must say, what is it with you otherworlders and dying young!? Please do be more careful this time around.”_

Izuku winced. He thought about asking who else besides those he knew had been sorted, but considering what the hat had just said, he figured he wouldn’t get an answer. “So, are you going to sort me into a house?”

_“Ah yes, of course!”_ The hat hummed to itself, and Izuku wondered if it was sorting through his memories. _“Hm. Like I said, you have an extremely fine mind. Ravenclaw would be happy to have you among its ranks, and you’d do well there. You have a great deal of ambition and cunning, the desire to be a great hero, even without a quirk, as well as the tactics you’ve created on the fly would make Salazar Slytherin proud.”_ Izuku couldn’t help but think about Severus just then. The hat didn’t seem to comment on that, but Izuku wondered if it knew of the other boy’s desire to be in Slytherin, and would take that into consideration.

_“And then there is your compassion, and drive to work as hard as you can! You would certainly be welcome in good ol’ Hufflepuff.”_ The sorting hat chuckled. _“My, what a tricky customer you are!”_

Izuku shifted nervously. “So where should I go then, if I fit into so many houses?”

_“That’s the real question, isn’t it?”_ The hat mused. _“With all that under consideration….as well as - yes, that should be taken into account as well….hmm.”_ The hat continued to murmur softly to itself, and Izuku was beginning to wonder if he’d ever be sorted. 

_“I think,”_ the hat told him suddenly, _“That I’ve reached a conclusion.”_

“What is it?” Izuku asked eagerly.

_“You may fit into every house, and do well in any house. But it seems at the end of the day, there is one of the four that defines you, and nearly all the actions you’ve taken thus far in either of your lives. In the end, the right house for you is GRYFFINDOR!”_

The hat shouted that last part for everyone to hear. Relieved, Izuku took of the hat and handed it back to McGonagall, who looked surprised and considering. The loud applause - for him this time - rang happily in his ears as he took his place at the table next to his friends.

Sirius slapped him on the back. “Wasn’t sure you were going to make it there for a minute, you took so long!”

“You were almost a hatstall,” another first year, Alice, if Izuku remembered correctly, told him. She had blond hair hair and warm brown eyes, and had seemed completely at ease before and during her sorting. “You know how rare that is? It’s pretty rare, let me tell you”

“Really?” Izuku asked.

“Is it?” Lily said at the same time. The two looked at each other and laughed. 

Sirius rolled his eyes and leaned over to Remus, who was sitting next to him. “Yes, they’re always like this.” Remus chuckled good naturedly, although there was a touch of nervousness in his voice.

Alice laughed as well. “Yeah, it is. I’ve heard that only a couple people have ever been hatstalls, two of which are widely considered to be some of the best teachers in this school.” Alice nodded her head at the teachers table, and Izuku wondered which two she was referring to. “Anyways, I’m Alice.”

“James,” Izuku said. “It’s nice to meet you.” 

“Alice is like you and Sirius. She’s grown up with two magical parents,” Lily explained. 

Alice smiled. “They both work for the Ministry of Magic. Dad’s Chief Secretary for the Minister, Mom works in the Wizengamot.”

“That’s so neat!” someone named Robert joined their table, sitting down next to Peter. 

“Snape, Severus.” Izuku, Lily, and Sirius turned to look at the sorting hat, Alice and Remus following their gaze. Severus seemed to be doing all he could to hide how frightened he was as he sat down on the stool and had the hat put on his head. Izuku saw Lily cross her fingers underneath the table.

“SLYTHERIN!” The hat called out not a minute later. Looking pleased, Severus sent them a somewhat apologetic look, before heading to the green and silver table, where an older boy with pale blond hair greeted him warmly.

“Figures,” Sirius muttered under his breath. Lily turned to him sharply.

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Can we not do this?” Izuku pleaded. He had just made some new friends, after years of only being close to one person. The last thing he wanted was for them to fight, even if he privately agreed with Lily. “I’m glad Severus got the house he wanted, and we can still hang out with him during and after classes!”

Lily’s expression softened. “You’re right.” She took a deep breath to calm herself. “No need to worry.” 

Not too long after, the sorting ceremony finished, and more food than Izuku had ever seen before appeared on the table. Wonder in his gaze, he immediately picked out some of his favorites. 

He quickly found Remus and Alice to be extremely enjoyable company. Alice seemed knowledgeable in all sorts of wizarding laws and procedures, due to her parents work. Politics in the magical world hadn’t been a topic Izuku had focused much on - he was far more interested in the magic itself and how it worked - but that didn’t mean he couldn’t appreciate a fellow knowledge seeker when he saw one. 

Remus was shy, and hesitant to speak up at first, but proved to be very well learned. Like Severus, he had one magical parent and one muggle parent, but seemed to know much more about muggle society than Severus did, even admitting at one point that his family spent more time interacting with the non-magical parts of the world than the magical parts. Izuku wondered why, but figured that wasn’t really a good topic for their first conversation, as Remus seemed extremely touchy about the whole thing.

At some point during the meal, a red haired Gryffindor boy approached them, prefect’s badge on his chest and a smile on his face. “James!” He said boistfully, and Izuku looked up, surprised. “Now that’s a face! Haven’t seen you like that since you thought you saw my head in the wall!”

_Oh… oh! _ Frank had told him about the other reincarnated student, but had failed to mention what he looked like. _ Hey there Mirio! _ Izuku tried to keep the emotions threatening to drown him off his face. The last thing he wanted was for everyone to question why he was crying seeing Mirio again.

“That was a mean trick you played,” Izuku said instead, although he kept a smile on his face. “I’m surprised you made prefect, considering how much of a slacker you used to be.”

Mirio laughed. “You got me there. But I haven’t introduced myself!” He smiled at the first years. “Fabian Prewett, fifth year Gryffindor prefect. If any of you has any problems, come find me!” 

“Thanks,” Lily said gratefully. 

“No problem at all.” Fabian smiled at all of them. He leaned down next to Izuku. “By the way, James. There’s someone I’d like you to meet. I think you’ll be interested in hearing what they have to say.”

“Another one of-?” Izuku asked, surprised. 

“No, he isn’t. But I really think you two should meet. I’ll introduce you when I get the chance.” Fabian stood up and gave everyone another smile. “Alright, I’m heading back to my part of the table. Again, if you need anything, just ask!”

The rest of the feast, including the desert, was just as delicious as the beginning. When most everyone had finished, they were dismissed, and Izuku and his friends stood, wondering where to go next.

Fabian waved them all over. “All right first years, follow me.” He led them up many flights of stairs, some of which ever even moving.

“How does this work?” Izuku wondered, as the steps they were on slid over to another landing. “What charm was used on them? Is there a pattern?”

“I think so,” Remus mused. “I feel like I read about it in ‘Hogwarts: a History’”. 

Sirius groaned. “Please not now. It’s just magic, who cares? I’m too tired to listen to you guys go on about that.”

“Then don’t listen,” Remus suggested. Izuku couldn’t help but let out a chuckle, and even Sirius wasn’t able to hide a surprised snort.

They reached a painting of a middle aged stocky lady. Fabian paused in front of it. “This is the entrance to the Gryffindor common room. Tell the Fat Lady the password, and she’ll let you in. This year’s password is Grompers. Please don’t forget it.” At the sound of the password, the Fat Lady smiled and swung open. They all clambered inside. 

The common room was warm and cozy, with deep red walls, comfortable plush chairs, red and gold rugs, and a roaring fireplace. Plenty of students had already made it back, and were lounging around, reading by the fire, or working at polished desks. 

Fabian passed out little pieces of parchment to each of them. “There’s a lot of kids in your year, so this has the dorm you’ll be in! Just head straight there, you’ll know it when you see it. Breakfast begins at seven, and classes start at nine, so make sure you’re there.” With that, everyone started to disperse. 

Lily, Mary, and Alice were looking at each other’s parchment, seeming pleased. Lily turned to smile at Izuku. “See you tomorrow then?”

Izuku smiled back. “Definitely!” They parted ways, Izuku heading up the boy’s staircase. He found his room rather quickly. Inside were four four-poster beds with deep red and gold curtains and bedsheets. His trunk was already at the foot of his bed, waiting to be put away.

Remus was already inside. He looked pleased to see Izuku. “Looks like we’re going to be sharing dorms.” He looked away awkwardly. “I’m glad. I mean, you seem really nice, and I was worried that….” He trailed off. 

Izuku picked up the conversation before it could get awkward. “I’m glad too. You also seem nice.” Remus gave a small smile, and Izuku counted that as a win.

Sirius barged into the room, followed closely by Peter. “You guys are here? Great!” He flopped down on his bed. “I’m hitting the sack, I’m beat.” Peter pattered silently to his own bed.

“Alright then. Good night.” Izuku tried out his own bed. It was the softest thing he had ever been in. 

So far, he had made at least three or four friends, been sorted into the same house as almost all of those friends, met Mirio again, and was about to start his true education in magic. If every day was going to be like this, Hogwarts was going to be the best time of Izuku’s lives.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took so long!
> 
> I debated where Izuku would go, but chose Gryffindor in the end. I think that, although he could be put in any of the different houses, when it comes to what he values he's a Gryffindor all the way.
> 
> I hope you enjoyed, and please don't forget to review!


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